VCE Summer Internship Program 2020

Smart Task Submission Format

Intern’s Details
Name Pragya Tripathi

Email-ID [email protected]

Smart Task No. 03

Project Topic Green Buildings

Smart Task (Solution)

Task Q1: List the design concepts that buildings are currently using to make it greener and energy
efficient.

Task Q1 Solution: Energy efficient buildings (new constructions or renovated existing buildings)
can be defined as buildings that are designed to provide a significant reduction of the energy need
for heating and cooling, independently of the energy and of the equipment that will be chosen to
heat or cool the building. This can be achieved through following designing techniques :-
1) Bioclimatic architecture: Bioclimatic design takes into account the local climate to make the
best possible use of solar energy and other environmental sources, rather than working
against them. It mainly focuses on the shape of the building to reduce the surfaces in contact
with the exterior; the building and especially its openings are given an appropriate
orientation; interior spaces are laid out according to their heating requirements .Appropriate
techniques are applied to the external envelope and its openings to protect the building from
solar heat in winter as well as in summer; passive solar systems collect solar radiation,
acting as “free” heating and lighting systems.

2) High performing building envelope: Thermal insulation is a low-cost, widely available,

proven technology. Well installed insulation ensures energy efficiency in every part of the
building envelope including ground decks, roofs lofts, walls and facades. It is also well suited
for pipes and boilers to reduce the energy loss of a building’s technical installations.
Insulation is as relevant in cold regions as in hot ones. Air leakages need to be reduced as
much as possible in order to create efficient, controllable, comfortable, healthy and durable
buildings .With more stringent building regulations requiring better energy efficiency.
Excessive air leakage can allow damp air to penetrate the building fabric, degrading the
structure and reducing the effectiveness of the insulation. Air tightness reduces air leakage.

3) High performance controlled ventilation: Ventilation is the intended and controlled ingress
and egress of air through buildings, delivering fresh air, and exhausting stale air through
purpose-built ventilators in combination with the designed heating system and humidity
control, and the fabric of the building itself. A controlled ventilation strategy will satisfy the
fresh air requirements of an airtight building. Air infiltration or opening of the window cannot

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Smart Task Submission Format

be considered an acceptable alternative to designed ventilation. If you do not insulate

properly and ventilate too little, you can risk warm humid air condensing on cold, poorly
insulated surfaces which will create moisture that allows for moulds and fungi to grow.

500 Words (Max.)

Task Q2: What is the impact of Green Buildings in terms of the Electricity and Thermal load of the
Buildings? Explain quantitatively.

Task Q3 Solution: Various studies have confirmed that high thermal resistance in roof & wall can
reduce the heat transfer load of the buildings. Various active and passive techniques are used in a
building to improve thermal comfort as well as reduce operational energy such as alternative
building materials, insulation in built-envelope, live wall & green roof etc.
 Fired clay brick (FCB) are used in buildings because of lack of technologies and less
concern about environmental pollution. FCB has a high thermal conductivity that requires
much amount of primary energy to maintain thermal comfort conditions in the buildings. Fly
ash brick (FAB) has lower thermal conductivities (0.90 - 1.05 W/m-K) compared with the
fired clay brick (FCB) (1.25 - 1.35 W/m K) and simultaneously solves the problem of disposal
of the waste product (ash) from thermal power plants.
The sensible heat transfer (SHT) load of the building is reduced by 21% - 29% through the
use of FAB with cavity wall in place of Fired clay brick (FCB) wall. The load reduction
increases to 26% - 44% by using FAB cavity wall with reflective coating on the roof. This
reduction further increases to 64% - 68% with FAB cavity wall along with green roof.
 High-reflectivity roof coating can reduce energy consumption in the range of 8.7% - 27.5%.
Green roofs are considered to be an effective contributor to reduced indoor temperature of
the building and the solution of several environmental problems that occurs due to current
urbanization.
 The roof surface receives more heat flux than wall surface in a building throughout the day.
Reinforced cement concrete (RCC) used for roof construction has high thermal conductivity.
The outer temperature of conventional roofs varies from 32˚C to 55˚C in summer season in
India. The green roof is essential to reduce incident solar radiation, because major heat
transfer occurs through roof surface in building. If the roof surface receives solar heat gain,
the indoor temperature also increases as the day progresses. A green roof is a green space
created by adding layers of growing medium and plants on top of a traditional roofing
system.
 Insulation:-Roof and wall insulation reduced cooling load by 23%. Insulated windows
reduced cooling load by 9% (window to wall ratio 7%) 

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Smart Task Submission Format

500 Words (Max.)

Task Q3: If using GB concepts are reducing the Electrical and Thermal load, then how much it’s
saving the environment, explain.

Task Q3 Solution: Buildings use a lot of energy for heating, cooling, electricity and more, but
green buildings [majorly Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified
buildings] have been shown to use 25 percent less energy than non-certified buildings.
Building operational phase demand is in the range of 80% - 90% of the total life cycle energy of the
buildings. In India, the life cycle energy of the buildings is in the range of 240 - 380 kWh/m 2-year
depending on the climatic condition and building envelope.
 Various active and passive techniques are used in a building to improve thermal comfort as
well as reduce operational energy such as alternative building materials, insulation in built-
envelope, live wall & green roof etc. so that with minimum use of electricity and thermal
energy maximum comfort can be gained which will reduce excessive production of electricity
hence conserve natural resources and decrease pollution level in the environment.

 Green building concept includes renewable energy sources such as daylighting, passive
solar, solar thermal (hot water) and photovoltaics, and geothermal heating and cooling. Use
of renewable energy increases energy security and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.

 The insulation used in Green Buildings helps in load reduction which increases to 26% -
44% by using Fly Ash Bricks (FAB) cavity wall with reflective coating on the roof. This
reduction further increases to 64% - 68% with FAB cavity wall along with green roof. In this
final scenario, the monthly electrical energy saving for air-conditioning is approximately 5.1
kWh/m2 per unit envelope area, with associated reduction in Green House Gases emission
up to 6.36 kg CO2eq/m2 per unit envelope area.

 Passive Solar Architecture is a part of Green Building concept. Passive solar heating
provides a way of reducing the amount of energy needed to heat buildings to a useful
comfort level, by replacing some of the heat derived from biomass or fossil fuels with heat
derived from sunlight. Sunlight is free, and has none of the negative financial, environmental
or health effects of biomass and fossil fuel use.

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If green building reduce electrical and thermal load then it ultimately reduces the use of
electricity and emission of green house gases released by various cooling appliances in
buildings to maintain comfortable temperature in the room.
There’s a direct connection between energy use and the environment. Less power
consumption, reduces the amount of toxic fumes released by power plants, conserves the
earth’s natural resources and protects ecosystems from destruction.
By taking steps to reduce our energy intake, we will contribute to a healthier and happier world.

500 Words (Max.)

Task Q4: List the means and methods that a common household can do to increase their energy
efficiency in home and reduce load.

Task Q4 Solution : The most effective strategy for improving household energy efficiency is:-
Target your home’s envelope—walls, attic, windows and doors.
Improve the energy efficiency of systems, such as heating, cooling, lighting and appliances.
Consider clean energy generation such as solar or geothermal.

Following steps can be used to increase energy efficiency in home and reduce load :-
1) Insulate windows and doors - About one-third of the home’s total heat loss usually occurs
through windows and doors. Effective insulation slows the rate that heat flows out of the
house in winter or into the house in summer, so less energy is required to heat or cool the
house. For insulation seal all window edges and cracks with rope caulk, windows can be
weather stripped with a special lining that is inserted between the window and the frame, for
doors, apply weather stripping around the whole perimeter to ensure a tight seal when
they’re closed.
2) Buy appliances with a good energy rating - The more stars, the better because with the
increase in number of stars energy efficiency of the appliance increases i.e. appliance uses
less energy to perform the same task that other appliance with less energy rating will
complete consuming more energy.
3) Replace incandescent lights -The average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to
lighting. The use of new lighting technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and
compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), can reduce the energy use required by lighting by 50%
to 75%. LEDs last even longer than CFLs and consume less energy.
4) Install daylighting as an alternative to electrical lighting - Daylighting is the practice of using

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natural light to illuminate the home’s interior. It can be achieved using skylights, light
shelves, clerestory windows, light tubes (special lens designed to amplify low-level light and
reduce light intensity from the midday sun).
5) Use natural light when possible.
6) Plant shade trees and shrubs around your house - If your house is older, with relatively poor
insulation and windows, good landscaping can save energy.
7) Use the Sun for Renewable Energy - Grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) panels currently
provide the most cost-effective form of renewable energy for a zero energy home. They can
power all the energy needs of a home including lighting, heating and cooling systems,
appliances and hot water. The more efficient the photovoltaic solar panel, the more energy
output it will have per amount of light energy hitting the cell, which will in turn take up less
surface area to meet your energy.
500 Words (Max.)

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